A Sunday quiz - do you know what "phlegmatic" means?

[quinnox]

I consider myself well read, I read a lot. So I like it when I stumble upon new words which doesn't happen that often. I was curious how many of you would know what the word "phlegmatic" means without consulting a dictionary. Please be honest in the poll answer.

12 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I knew what phlegmatic meant and didn't need to look it up
	10 (83%)
	I didn't know what phlegmatic meant and would need to look it up
	2 (17%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[treestar]

1. I know what it means

But then I was an English major. It's not a word in general use these days.

[whistler162]

2. Sure it has to do with having a lot of spit or flem!

[lonestarnot]

4. Must be!

LMAO.

[barnabas63]

3. I think I know what it means....

It would be nice if you'd put the definition there so we can check.

[Odin2005]

5. I'm more of a Choleric tempertment.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. A clue

It's a characteristic I wish more DUers would adopt when considering the plethora of polls that suggest 'a virtual tie.'

[leveymg]

7. Wonder if my insurance covers that condition. . .

Or, is that the opposite of pithy?

[doc03]

8. Means Chill out

[cthulu2016]

9. Don't worry. This poll is, of course, not accurate

If everyone answered, and honestly, it would be 90% "don't know"

It is not a hopelessly obscure word. It is a word people should know insofar as it would not be an outrage if it was on the SAT, but if it was the great majority of people would not know it.

(Not many people get perfect SAT verbal scores.)

[MineralMan]

10. If a guy knows what "phlegm" is, it's an easy word

to figure out, even if you've never seen it before. You just have to think about how you feel on the third or fourth day of a bad cold. If not, it's impossible to figure out.

[longship]

11. I can even use it in a sentence.

When I had a cold last week, I was very phlegmmatic.

[AsahinaKimi]

12. I am sure my mom would know...

She was an English teacher before working with my Father at his practice. And now, having looked up the word, via Google, I can say it describes her perfectly, ...me not so much.

[DavidDvorkin]

13. This is a humorous poll.

[Iggo]

14. I know what it looks like it means...

...but since it's on a pop quiz and I haven't studied, I'm willing to bet it means something else. I'm gonna go look it up...

EDIT: Yep.

[Quantess]

15. It is one of the 4 humours

I believe it was Aristotle that came up with 4 basic personality types.

[DireStrike]

16. I have a vague idea what it means

See, I would have said something like slow, turgid, lugubrious... It's more like stolid, laconic.

[Vattel]

17. To be phlegmatic is to have the personality of the blob.

Puzzling how something that slow could consume so many people.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. I had to change my vote

I was right, but I didn't think I was